Joeys qualify for U16 Championship

The Qantas Joeys have qualified for the AFC U-16 Championship after defeating Indonesia 5-2 at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok last night and finishing in second position in Group G of the qualification tournament.

The Qantas Joeys have qualified for the AFC U-16 Championship after defeating Indonesia 5-2 at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok last night and finishing in second position in Group G of the qualification tournament.

Taylor Tombides got the Qantas Joeys off to a perfect start by scoring in the 3rd minute capitalising from an intercept following some early pressure on the Indonesian defence.

Indonesia equalised in the 9th minute through Muhammad Hargianto, but Qantas Joeys defender Aaron Calver restored Australia-s lead a minute later when he headed home a Lukas Stergiou corner.

Shortly before half-time Reece Papadimitrios extended the Qantas Joeys lead by converting from the penalty spot after Taylor Tombides was fouled in the box.

The second half saw the Qantas Joeys continue to assert their dominance on the match and Hyunga Tanner added his team-s fourth goal of the game in the 63rd minute following a neat piece of combination play in the build-up.

Indonesia pegged a goal back three minutes later when Ichsan Hari Kurniawan scored from a fast counter attack, but the match was sealed in the 78th minute when Taylor Tombides scored his second of the match and ninth of the tournament to complete a memorable 5-2 victory for the Qantas Joeys.

Speaking after the match, Qantas Joeys Head Coach Jan Versleijen was proud that his team had achieved their goal of qualifying for the AFC U-16 Championship but even happier with the improvement his team made during the tournament.

“Tonight-s result was very satisfying. Not just because we achieved our goal of qualifying for the Asian Championship, but more so because of the progress that the team has made over the past two weeks.

“In particular our organization in midfield and attack improved greatly from our first game together against Thailand.

“What we have also learned during this tournament is that there are no easy games in Asia anymore and we need to work hard for every result.

“I-m also very proud of what the players and staff have achieved during this competition.

“We will now return to Australia and begin our planning and preparation for next year-s AFC U-16 Championship,” concluded Versleijen.

In the other Group G matches Thailand continued their unbeaten run and topped the table with a 6-2 win over Hong Kong whilst Myanmar defeated Guam 7-0.

During the AFC U-16 Championship Qualifiers, each group will play one round league and the top two teams from each group will progress to the AFC U-16 Championship 2012.

Additionally, the third best teams from each West and East zones will complete the 16-team line up of the 2012 finals.

The AFC U-16 Championship will serve as the qualifying event for the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup which will be held in the United Arab Emirates in October/November.

Match Details Qantas Joeys 5 (Taylor Tombides 3-/78-, Aaron Calver 10-, Reece Papadimitrios 39- (pen), Hyuga Tanner 63-) Indonesia 2 (Muhammad Hargianto 9-, Ichsan Hari Kurniawan 66-) Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand Thursday 22 September 2011 Referee: Iida JUMPEI (JAPAN) Assistant Referees: IGOR (TURKMENISTAN) & Surindranath S/O KASEENATHAN (SINGAPORE) Fourth Official: Ma NING (CHINA P.R.) Crowd: 100

Qantas Joeys line-up: 12.Andre JANNESE (gk), 3.Aaron CALVER, 4.Benjamin WARLAND (c), 5.Darcy MADDEN, 7.Daniel De SILVA, 10.Hyuga TANNER, 11.Taylor TOMBIDES, 13.Reece PAPADIMITRIOS (8.Kevin LY 84-), 17.Joshua MACDONALD, 19.Lukas STERGIOU (6.Jordan BROWN 72-), 24.James BALDACCHINO.

Substitutes not used: 1.Jordan THURTELL (gk), 14.Brendan GONANO, 18.Thomas MANOS (gk), 20.Stephen O-NEILL, 21.Conor O'NEILL, 22.Zackary NICOLIS, 25.Ross MILLARD, 29.Todd NORRIS, 42.Billy HATZINIKOLIS

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

Indonesia line-up: 1.Muhammad Reza PRATAMA (gk), 2.Rizky SYAWALUDIN,3.Bagas ADI NUGROHO ,5.Achmad BAIHAQI ,8.Muhammad HARGIANTO (C) ,9.Ichsan Hari KURNIAWAN (7.Sabeq Fahmi FACHROZY 83-),15.Helmi Madila IHZA,16.Ginandaru Gesang WICAKSONO (26.Marthinus ASSO 90-),18.Gavin Kwan ADSIT, 22.Zulfikar Naghy LEWENUSSA, 27.Terens Owang Priska PUHURI

Substitutes not used: 13.ANDREAN,19.Irvan Ibrahim YANES, 20.Gilang Isya ROSA, 23.Muhamad Aek NABARA (gk), 24.Artandi TODING, 28.Indra GUNAWAN,29.I Gusti RUSTIAWAN,30.Ari NUGRAHA (gk)

Not Eligible: 4.Amirul Mukminin HARIANSYAH, 11.TEDI

Yellow Cards: Ginandaru Gesang Wicaksono 86-

Red Cards: Nil